Nuggets score playoff low 70 points in Game 6 loss to Timberwolves

Jeremy Vernon

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Nuggets score playoff low 70 points in Game 6 loss to Timberwolves image

With a chance to close out the series Thursday night in Minnesota, the Denver Nuggets were thrashed by the Timberwolves, 115-70, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Now, the Nuggets and Timberwolves will meet Sunday with a trip to the Western Conference Finals up for grabs. 

Just how bad was Denver's performance in Game 6 on Thursday? Here's a closer look:

— Denver's 70 points were its fewest ever in a playoff game. The previous low for the Nuggets was 76 points, which came in a 104-76 loss to the Spurs in Game 2 of the 2005 Western Conference first round.

— Minnesota's 45-point margin of victory was the largest against a defending NBA champion in playoff history, and also the second-largest by a team facing elimination.

— At one point in the second half, the Nuggets trailed by 50 points. That is their biggest deficit in any game, regular season or playoffs, over the past 25 seasons.

— Denver shot 26-for-86 (30.2%) from the field in Game 6. This is the worst shooting percentage by a team in an NBA playoff game since the Grizzlies also made 30.2% of their attempts in a 125-85 loss to the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference first round. Only 16 teams since 2000 have finished a playoff game shooting less than 30% from the field.

— Jamal Murray finished Game 6 with 10 points on 4-of-18 (22.2%). For the series, Murray is averaging 15.7 points per game while shooting 38.2% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.

— Michael Porter Jr. posted his third straight game with less than 10 points, finishing with eight on 3-of-9 shooting. Porter Jr. averaged 22.8 points per game in Round 1 vs. the Lakers and 16.7 points per game during the regular season. He is shooting 39.7% from the field against Minnesota.

— Denver was outrebounded 62-43 on the night. The 62 rebounds were the fourth-most given up by the Nuggets in a playoff game in franchise history, and their most since allowing 62 in a 140-137 loss to Portland in Game 3 of the 2019 Western Conference semis.

— The Nuggets nine bench points Thursday marked the sixth time since 2000 that Denver scored 10 or fewer bench points in a playoff game. The franchise record for fewest bench points in a game is five, which they set in Game 4 of this year's first round against the Lakers.

— Anthony Edwards' plus-minus of +43 was the highest by any NBA player in the postseason since Reggie Bullock was +44 for the Mavericks against the Suns in Game 7 of the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals. The NBA record for highest plus-minus in the playoffs is +46, which has been hit by Desmond Bane, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler.

Jeremy Vernon

Jeremy Vernon Photo

Jeremy Vernon is a reporter and editor from Greensboro, North Carolina, with a decade of experience in the industry. His previous stops include MLB.com and two local papers in N.C. — the Monroe Enquirer-Journal and the Chatham News + Record. When he isn’t working, you can likely find Jeremy at the dog park with his two-year old lab mix, Summer.